Internal-combustion engine.



J.-O. ALMEN. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. I917.

1 300,098, Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

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MW I a N ENTOR I J. 0. ALMEN. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 6, 1917.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR J. Ni '7 I Jb/m 0/7/07?- ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- lNI/ENTOH 04/7 0. i/We/z W 4 TTOR/VEY I. 0. ALMEN; INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, IIJII To all whom it ma 1 concern .ionn 0. human, or SEATTLE, wnsnmoron.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

1 ,ao oes.

Be it known that I, JOHN O. ALMFN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State .of ashingtomhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to

improvements in the engine illustrated and described in patent application Serial No. V p cylinders are shown in each of the sections 11.

114,982, filed by me August 15, 1916. I

The primary object of the invention is to produce an engine of this class which will be of light weight, compact form, efficient in consumption of fuel, and will operate with a'small amount of vibration.

A further object is the provision of an improved construction of valves and the operating mechanism therefor which will afford a better control overthe admission of the explosive mixture, and regulate the ex back pressure. the prov1s1on In an enmproved fr1ct-1on-rehaust so as to obviate A further object is gine of this class of ducing appliances.

A still further object is the provision of packingdevices to render the engine inlet and exhaust connections leak-proof with an absence of friction.

Because of the above-mentioned characteri'stics which are attained by my invention, it is peculiarly adapted to aeroplanes, automobile, marine and other applications. An engine embodying my invention. is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same shown broken away and partly in section, said section being taken substantially through 2 2- of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a deta1l sectional view through i is a detached plan view of one of the expansible packing rings employed in the engine. Fig. 5 is a sectional. view taken diametrically through Fig: 4:. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through 6-6 of Fig. 1. -Fig. 7 is an end elevation of one of the valve members shown detached. Fig. 8.is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a face view showing somewhat diagrammatically a packing ring, controlling plates therefor, the plate-spacing bars,

ferred form of port for each cylinder.

Specification of Letters Patent.

3-3of Fig. Fig;

lar 27 is a second and illustrating the pregear teeth.

' As best shown in Fig. 1, the engine is provided'with a casing comprised of a section 10 interposed between two cylinder sections 11 and having secured to the outer ends of the Patented Apr. 8, 1919. Application filed March 8, 1917. Serial No. 152,494. v

latter head members 12. Extending-axially;

through such case and j'ournaled in bearings 14 provided, preferably-in said head members,-is the. engine shaft 15.

The casing sections 11 are formed with a plurality inders, as they will be hereinafter desigaa of .bores 16 constituting the cylnated., In the present embodiment seven.

These cylinders are arranged concentrically with. respect to the axis those in one of the members 11 being complementary to and in axial alinement with those of the othercylinder member. Said cylinders open from their inner ends into the chamber 13 within the'central section 10, and adjacent to their'outer ends are provided radially disposed pasages 17 which serve lternately for intake and exhaust purposes.

Adjacent to their inner ends the cylinders are provided with one or more complementary exhaust ports 18, shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Operable within the respective cylinders are pistons 19 which are made relatively long to furnish with respect to the cylinders and also to keep the ports 18 closed with respect to the chamber 13. Said pistons are .also provided at their outer ends with peripherally spaced extensions 21 which serve, upon occasion, as valve elements with respect to the supplementary exhaust ports 18. Each pair of axially alined pistons is rigidly coupled by a piston rod 20 having acentral globular portion 22 from which extends a disk element 23 arranged in rectangular relation to the axis of the respective rod and having of the shaft 15,

conical shaped end surfaces 24 and 24 whose apices, if produced, will be located at the center of the globular part 22.

About the outer portion each of the disks is provided with gear teeth 25 'which are successively engaged by the teeth 26 of an annular wabbling collar 2? having tapering internal and external coniof a surface 24,.

cal surfaces 28 and 29. At the opposite side of a disk element 23 from thewabbling colwabbling collar 27 similar to the first-named one by having corresponding internal and external conical surfaces 28 and 29 but is unprovided with Each such assembly of a disk and a pair of collars is contained in an annular casing formed of two complementary parts 30 (Fig. 1) the same being provided with an interior globular surface which fits against the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective disk element 22 and the associated collars 27 and j 27 the annular casings 30 having openings 32 to accommodate the piston rods 20 and about the edge of each such opening is a circular ridge 33 whose office is to receive 7 thrusts imparted through the collars and 35 (Fig. 1) for each, to respectively accommodate a casing 30 and a circumferential flange 30 provided a ring 36 fixedly secured to and forming in effect, a part of the wabbler frame.

The diameters of said flanges are somewhat less than the diameter of a recess 35 thereby allowing the casings 30 limited amounts of orbital movements. These casings are, however, secured against rotating by the provision of peripherally. disposed cavities 38 in said flanges to receive pro- 35 tuberances 39 provided on the non-rotatable rings 36.

40 represents anti-friction balls interposed between the wabbling frameW. and a peripherally grooved bushing 41 provided on 40 a journal 42 havmgits axis arranged obliquely with respect to the axis of the shaft.

The journal 42 forms part of. a sleeve 42 whichis seated on a tubular support 43 surroundln the shaft. Said support is held 4 concentrically about the latter by means of ball-bearings 44 holding the ends of the support concentrically within Wheels 45 whose hubs 45 are rigidly secured, as bykeys 46, to the shaft.

Between. an inner wall 11 of the cylinder sections and the exterior of wheels 45 I provide ball-bearings 47 which serve to prevent any lateral deflection of the shaft. ljhe wheels 45are also provided with series of gear teeth 48 and 48 which are respectively engaged by series of gear-' teeth 49 and 49 provided on opposite sides of'the wabbling frame W. The teeth of the frame series, however, exceed in numher those of the respective wheel series, whereby the wabbling of the frame will effeet the rotation of the wheels tocorrespondingly drive the shaft. The wheels are furthermore provided with-annular surfaces 50 which have rolling contact with annular sur- Within each such recess is also an arcuate plate tion of the frame W and corresponding in function to the rolling surfaces 24 and 24 with respect to the opposing surfaces 29 and 29 of'the several thrust collars 27 and 27 Provided in the cylindrical chambers 52 in each end of the engine casing, and communicating with the respective passages 17, is arotary valve 53' which is secured to the shaft .by a key 54. Each valve is formed with a body having two concentrically arranged walls 55 and 56 to provide annular compartments 57 and 58 about a valve hub 53 and intermediate the above-named walls.

Intake and exhaust ports 59 and 60 are provided in the valve, the former extending through conduits 59 into the compartment 57 to which the explosive mixture is supplied from a manifold compartment 57 in a head 12 by a pipe 61, and the other ports 60 open into the compartment 58. Within the latter I provide an annulus 62, shown detached in Figs. 7 and 8, rovided with conduits 63, one for each 0 the ports 60 and fitting against the 56 of the valve 'Wall'56 and affordingcommunication between such ports and an outlet 64 provided in the adjacent head 12..

The conduits 63 are integrally connected with each other by tie elements 65 in each of which is included a loop 65 which may contract or expand when subjected to vary-. ing degrees of temperature from the hot exhaust gases, and still maintain the conduits in juxtaposition with the wall surface 56.

Within the compartment 57 and fitted against the inner peripheral surface 55 of Wall 55 is a cut-off valve 66 having a plurality of. ports 66 which may be brought into full partial register with the conduits 59 when the ports 59 of the latter are in register with cylinder passages 17. The adjustment of a cut-off valve is effected by means of a spur-pinion 67 engaging a number of teeth such as 68 (Fig. 1) provided in the respective cut-off valve to suitably rotate the cut-off valvewith respect to the passages 17 As shown, a pinion 67 is actuated by a rod 67 through the medium of a crankarm 67. A valve 53 is machined to be of lessdiameter than the chamber 52 in which it operates, thereby-"affording an annular space for packing devices which insure a non-leakable connection between the various cylinder passages 17 and the respective valve. These packing devices each comprise 69 whose concave surface is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the valve .wall 56 and held against revolv-. ing with the valve by resilient stop means such as spring elements or flexible bars 70, Fig. 9, whose ends extend into holes 70 inner peripheral surface provided inthe casing, as indicated in provided for the respective passages 17.. To-

prevent leakage between the cylinder-casing sections 11 and the plates 69, I' provide pairs of expansible rings (shown detached a during in Figs. 4 and 5) which also serve to hold said plates in contact with valve walls 56. More particularly, each air of such rings comprises an outer ring i faces 72 which taper in both directions from a circumferential apex 72 to fit into the respective said plate opening and the passage. The inner ring 73 is likewise provided with external tapering faces 73 to fit against angularly arranged faces 72 of a groove provided interiorly of the outer ring. .The outer and inner tively cut obliquely, asindicated by lines 74 and 75, so that the resiliency of the material of which the ringsare formed will cause them to expand.

7 6 indicate screw-threaded holes extending through casing into the cylinders for the reception of sparking plugs, not shown, of any usual or suitable ignltlon system.

In operation, the explosive mixture is supplied by pipes 61 to :the intake manifolds 57 at opposite ends of the engine casing and, subject to the control of the shaft driven valves 53 and the supplementary cutoff valves 66, is delivered into the various cylinders 16 through the respective passages 17, which latter also serve, subject to the valves 53, to carry away the major portion of the exhaust. gases.

After the manner of four-cycle engines, the charges aredrawn into each cylinder thesuction strokes of the pistons, compressed during the following reverse strokes, then exploded. in the third strokes to impel the pistons which, in the fourth .strokes, effect. the discharge of the spent gases.

The reciprocating of the pistons acts through the medium of piston-rod disks 23 and casings 30, to afford wabbling motion to the frame W because of its being mounted on a journal 42 whose-axis is oblique to the axis of the engine. -The casings 30 and the flange elements 30 thereof being of less diameters than the openings 35 and recess. 35*, respectively, of the casings, afford movements of such casings to compensate for the wabbling movements of the wabbler frame W. i 1

As the frame W wabbles, the annular faces 51 thereof track against the opposing faces 50 of wheels 45, while the gear. teeth 49 and 49 of the wabbler engage the wheel teeth 48 and 48 By reason of there being a greater number of teeth on the wabbler 2 having external rings are respecarranged cylinders than on said wheels, the wheels are caused to'rotate at a slower speed to similarly drive the shaft which. is keyed thereto.

By the provisionof series of gear teeth 25 on the plston rod disks 23 engaging series of teeth 26 on the collars 27, and due-to the different number of teeth in the respective series, rotary motion is imparted to the piston rods to cause the associated pistons to rotate for the purpose of revolving piston extensions 21 to time the opening and closing of'the supplementary exhaust ports 18.

of the valve with the passages to the cylinders, a normally stationary cylindrical cut off member within said valve having openings that register with the inlet passageways in said valve,.and means for adjusting-the position of said out off member to vary the cut off of said valve.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising a shaft, a plurality, of circularly around said shaft each of said cylinders having an inwardly directed passageway, means for establishing -a drivlng connection between said cylinders and said shaft, a valve having exhaustand inlet compartments respectively provided with openings that are caused by the travel 'of the valve to register with the passa ways to said cylinders, and a normally 5 tionary ad ustable cut off member disposed. within said valve and having passageways that register with the inlet openings in said valve and afford a variable cut off for explosive mixture.

3. 'An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of circularly arranged cylinders each having a passage, a cylindrical valve having an inner annular compartment for explosive mixture and an outer annular compartment for exhaust gases each of said compartments having passageways. that are caused to register with the passages to the cylinders by the rotation of the valve. a stationarycut off member disposed 'within'said inner annular compartment and having openings that are caused to register with the inlet openings in said valve, and

means for adjusting the position of said out passageways that communicate in the travel 4. An engine of the class described com-' prising a plurality of circularly arranged cylinders each having a passage, a rotary valve having ports that are caused to registerwith said passages by the rotation of said valve, a late interposed between each of said cylin ersand the valve, automatically acting packing members between said plates and said cylinders and adapted to expand under pressure to prevent leakage, and flexible stops associated with said cylinders to prevent displacement of said plates.

5. An engine of the prising a plurality of c a passage that class described comterminates in cone shaped mouth portion, a rotary valve having ports that register with said passages in the travel of the valve, a plate interposed betweeneach of said cylinders and said valve each of said plates" having a passageway that has its outer edge beveled off to form a cone shaped mouth disposed opposite the cone shaped mouthof a cylinder passageway, expansible packing rings disposed within the recess formed by said two cone shaped mouths and means codperating with said packing rings to prevent displacement ofsaid plates.

6. The combination with an engine cylinder having aport provided with a conically recessed .mouth of a valve controlling .the inlet and exhaust to said cylinder, a plate interposed between. said a valve and said cylinder and having a conical passage within 's disposed opposite the conical mouth of said port and n expansible' packing device dis posed within the recessesbetween saidport and said plate comprising an outer split ring having coniform exterior and interior surfaces and an inner slit rin vconiform' external sur ace an disposed aid'out er split ring the split portions of said rings being ofise't with respect 'to each other; v 17. An engine having a. plurality "of cyl- :mdgrs ranged in parallel relations and and the valve and adapted to ylinders each having I having a rotary valve having ports therein, a plate interposed between each of said cylinders provided with a conical port, and expansion rings constituting wedges positioned in said conical ports, and flexible stops cooperating with said rings to prevent the displacement of said plates.

8. An internal combustion engine including a rotary cylindrical valve having an outer annular compartment and an inner annular compartment and a separable member disposed within said outer compartment to afford a conduit for exhaust gases and expand and contract independently of the valve in response to variations in temperature.

9. An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of circularly arranged cylinders, a cylindrical rotary valve cooperating with said cylinders said valve having an inner, annular compartment for explosive gases and an outer annular compartment that connects with said cylinders and a separable member disposed within said outer compartment and provided with con- I duits for the escape of exhaust gases and flexible sections connecting said conduits to permit said member to-expand independently of said valve due to the heat of the exhaust gases.

10. An internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, arotary valve having passages of an explosive mixture to the engine cylinders, and a circular member carried-in the valve said member being provided with space conduits for the escape of exhaust gases from the various cylinders and having conduits to compensate for contraction or expansion of said member due to variations of temperatures when uninfluenced by or subjected to the heat of exhaust gases.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 20th day of February, 1917.

JOHN O. ALMEN.

' Witnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, Eorrn Pn'rrmsox.

therethrough for the supply yielding portions intermediate the adjacent 1 

